An unprecedented Presidential election will take place in 2008 if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hillary Clinton, or both, battle it out for the title of the first female Commander-In-Chief. Just who are these two incredibly strong and powerful women? Where do they stand on today’s important issues?
Dr. Condoleezza Rice, often affectionately nicknamed “Condi,” entered humble beginnings on November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her father was a minister and her mother a music teacher. In fact, her name comes from a musical expression “Con dolcezza”, meaning “with sweetness”. Her father was a peaceful man, who taught the same to his daughter.
Condi's father…told her that, in America, all things were possible, in spite of racism. When faced with racism, Condi's father took control, organized armed patrols of his neighborhood…and saw to it that his daughter received an education and excelled. Young Condi, in return, told her father that one day she would be in the White House. (“Americans for Dr. Rice” par 2)
As an adult, she went on to pursue an intensive education, beginning with a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Denver in 1974, when she was only 19 years old. She went on to obtain her master’s from the University of Notre Dame a year later and received a doctorate from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. In addition, she has received honorary doctorates from seven different universities including the University of Alabama, the University of Notre Dame, and the National Defense University. (“Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State” par. 8)
In December 2000, she was the National Security Advisor, under George W. Bush. In this role she offers advice to the president on national security issues, especially during a time of crisis. In January 2005, she was sworn in as the 66th Secretary of State. In early years, the position of Secretary of State was viewed as a stepping-stone to the presidency. Many Secretaries of State have gone on to become president, including Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and others. In fact, today, the Secretary of State is fourth in line to the presidency, after the Vice-President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President pro tempore of the senate.
Secretary Rice is a Republican and believes in the concept of transformational diplomacy when it comes to foreign nations. In essence, she believes that the United States has a place in the world to help the people of other countries make the most of themselves and to become self-sufficient, productive, contributors to the world as a whole. She also believes, with regard to the war in Iraq, this is a time where the United States takes a country, once terrorized by its own dictator, and makes it an independent democracy. This is unprecedented in a historic sense. A lot of criticism arises because people do not know what the outcome will be and do not know what it takes to create a democracy. Secretary Rice believes that the United States will succeed and that credit needs to be given to the Iraqi people for their victories, as well. For the most part, she is very strong in national security issues. To her, that is one of the most important issues to be dealt with today.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, was born Hillary Diane Rodham in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. She is the oldest of three children. Her father was a textile worker, and her mother was a homemaker. Like Condoleezza, her beginnings were very humble. As a child, she was active in sports, church, school, and Girl Scouts. In high school she served as class president and won many awards.
After completing high school she enrolled at Wellesley College in Massachusetts majoring in political science. She served, at one time, as the President of the Wellesley College Chapter of the College Republicans, but as time went on her views changed and she joined the Democratic Party (Wikipedia. Par 4). In 1969, Hillary enrolled at Yale Law School to work for her Juris Doctor degree. She spent most of her time doing work with various children and migrant worker causes.
In 1975, she married fellow Yale Law School student, Bill Clinton, and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. A year later, in 1976, she joined the Rose Law Firm and became a full partner in 1979. She became the First Lady of Arkansas when her husband, Bill, was elected as governor in 1978.
When Bill Clinton was elected as President of the United States in 1992, Hillary became the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree. Her husband appointed her in 1993 to head up the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She unsuccessfully worked to pass a national health care system, known as “Hillarycare.” (Wikipedia par 13) There was much controversy at the time over the First Lady having such a central role in public policy matters. In fact, many people referred to the Clinton Presidency as “Billary”, since it appeared that there were actually two presidents at that time. Also well known at the time was her husband’s infidelity, which caused quite the controversy, and led to his impeachment.
The White House changed political hands in 2000 with Republican George W. Bush elected as President. At the same time, Hillary moved to New York State, ran for a seat in the Senate, and won. She was commonly referred to as a carpetbagger, or a politician who moves someplace to exploit the natives and enrich themselves at the natives’ expense (Carpetbagger par. 9)
With regards to the military action after September 11th, Hillary expressed support for action in Afghanistan, but felt different about the United States’ involvement in Iraq. She felt that Iraq, in February 2005, was functioning well, elections had succeeded, and that the insurgency was failing. (Wikipedia par. 29) She felt as though pulling out of Iraq would be a big mistake, but felt as though the Bush administration was misguided in its commitment to stay in Iraq. This two-sided stance on Iraq has caused some war activists much frustration.
Senator Clinton’s political views are an almost opposite parallel to President Bush’s. She is against the Administration’s tax cuts, Supreme Court Judicial nominations, and the Federal Government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. She has also expressed interest in running for the Presidency in the 2008 elections.
Although Condoleezza Rice has not officially expressed interest in the 2008 Presidential elections, will her position change if Hillary Clinton is formally in the running? With the possibility of some voters in the United States intrigued by the idea of the first female president, regardless of political affiliation, will this become an advantage for the Democratic Party? Or will Secretary Rice commit to running to balance the scales? This is something that will be left to be seen in the next few years. Regardless of where you stand in your own personal political views, you have to admit that both are intelligent, well-educated, powerful women. But their political views and aspirations would make for two completely different outcomes for the United States. What it will come down to is what are the most important concerns for American’s at that time, and who stands the strongest on those issues.
Works Cited
“Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State.” The White House.
“News and Commentary Archive for December, 2005.” Americans for Dr. Rice.
“Hillary Rodham Clinton.” Wikipedia 9 April 2006
“Carpetbagger.” Wikipedia 6 April 2006
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